Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
San José Spotlight
Dewan: Safety first as students return to school
By Mary Ann Dewan,
1 day ago
It’s never more important for motorists to slow down and pay attention than when children are present — especially before and after school.
Students throughout Santa Clara County are returning to school. That means school buses are back on the road, there are more pedestrians, students on bikes, skateboards, scooters and cars near schools for student drop-off and pick-up. All of us need to be on high alert and make safety our first commitment near all school zones.
In California, traffic accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for school-age children.
According to research by the National Safety Council, many children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they’re walking.
Speed limits are an important tool to ensure the safety of the community. But with school zone speeds restricted to 25 mph, California has some of the fastest school zone speeds in the U.S. The Safer School Zones Act, if passed, would establish a 20 mph speed limit in school zones starting Jan. 1, 2028, and enforce the limits to include heavy pedestrian traffic times from 7-10 a.m. and from 2-5 p.m. The bill would also define a school walk zone as any roadway or sidewalk within 1,000 feet of a school’s boundary line in all directions.
Nine years ago, San Jose became the fourth U.S. city to adopt a Vision Zero initiative, with the goal to keep the community safe by reducing and one day eliminating traffic deaths and severe injuries. In order to make city streets safer for walkers, rollers and bicyclists, San Jose’s action plan involves improving roadways with new safety measures and community engagement.
Some precautions can help keep children safe, especially in school zones:
Adhere to lower school zone speed limits and traffic signals
Don’t block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic
In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection
Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign
Minimize distractions and take extra care to look for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks and in all residential areas
Avoid honking or revving the engine to scare a pedestrian, even with the right of way
Never pass a bus from behind — or from either direction if you’re on an undivided road — if it is stopped to load or unload children
If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop
The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus
When passing a bicyclist, proceed in the same direction slowly, and leave 3 feet between your car and the cyclist
When turning left and a bicyclist is approaching in the opposite direction, wait for the rider to pass
If you’re turning right and a bicyclist is approaching from behind on the right, let the rider go through the intersection first, and always use turn signals
Watch for bike riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling
Watch for bikes coming from driveways or behind parked cars
Check side mirrors before opening the door
Individuals interested in playing a crucial role in community safety can find school crossing guard job postings on job opportunity websites for each city.
By exercising a little extra care and caution, we can keep our children safe.
San José Spotlight columnist Mary Ann Dewan is the superintendent of schools for Santa Clara County. She has more than 33 years of experience in the field of education. Her columns appear every third Monday of the month.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0